BLUETOOTH communication systems provide the ability to wirelessly connect a plurality of devices to each other, but a limitation on such a network is generally that it has a smaller range than more conventional wireless networks. As a result, if two devices in communication over a BLUETOOTH network, for example, a vehicle computing system and a wireless mobile device, are separated by more than a certain distance, the signal between those devices may be lost. In the preceding example, a driver stopping to get gasoline, for example, and leaving the proximity of the vehicle, may break a BLUETOOTH connection to the vehicle.
Additionally, vehicle computing systems may have no current method for handling an upcoming disconnect, since the system may not be aware that a disconnect is about to ensue until the connection is actually broken. Data transfer can thus be abruptly interrupted, or applications running in conjunction with the vehicle computing system can have their functionality interrupted.